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John Ware

Former University of Kentucky assistant coach John Ware was named interim head coach of the Seahawk women’s tennis program on Nov. 25, 2014

Ware, who has served as an assistant coach under Jenny Garrity and Evan Clark, is in his 15th year with the Seahawks after arriving in 2000.

During his tenure with the Seahawks, UNCW has placed 48 players on the All-Conference squads in the Colonial Athletic Association, including former standouts Lindsey Hess and Christina Lee, who were honored on five different occasions by the CAA’s coaches.

The Seahawks are coming off a spectacular season in 2014 that saw the team capture the school’s first conference title and earn the league’s automatic NCAA berth.

UNCW compiled a sparkling 17-4 record in 2013-14 and nailed down the No. 1 seed at the CAA Tournament for the first time. The Seahawks defeated Charleston, 4-3, for the school’s first women’s crown.

In 2012-13, six different players earned All-CAA honors as the Seahawks went 14-7 and advanced to the championship match of the CAA Tournament for the first time.

In 2011-12, the Seahawks reached the semifinals of the CAA championship tournament for the fourth time since Ware’s arrival. UNCW also knocked off 38th-ranked Georgia State early in the season, the program’s top win against a ranked team. The win propelled the Seahawks into the national rankings at 67th, matching the program’s previous high mark set in 2010-11.

Alyssa Ritchie became UNCW’s first CAA Rookie-of-the-Year in 2012, when she shared the award with Aleksandra Mitrovska of Old Dominion. Ritchie led the Seahawks with a 17-3 record as a freshman.

Ware has extensive playing and coaching experience. He competed collegiately for Valdosta State’s top-20 team from 1989-90 and has served on the staffs at the Athens (Ga.) Country Club and Jennings Mills Country Club.

The 43-year-old native of Athens began his collegiate coaching career with the Kentucky Wildcats in 1999-00 and was involved with all aspects of the Wildcat’s program before moving to Wilmington.

Ware completed his bachelor’s degree in Finance from Georgia in 1995. He also earned a degree in Liberal Studies from UNCW in 2011.